Brett Young’s National Anthem at NHL All-Star Game Met With Criticism

Brett Young chose to give a slower-paced, down-tempo version of the National Anthem Sunday (Jan. 28) at the 2018 NHL All-Star Game in Tampa, Fla., and received a good deal of roasting on social media as a result.

Young's rendition wasn't completely off base — it merely felt a little slow, and he admittedly employed a few oddly timed pauses which threw off the crowd's singing along— but, viewers went ahead and gave unvarnished, harsh critiques of his performance.

It is a thankless job, this anthem-singing business. Young's delivery was hardly Roseanne-Barr-in-1990-bad ... but Twitter can be brutal.

Young didn't respond to the waves of criticism on social media, but prior to the show he made a statement regarding his excitement about the event. “It’s such an honor to be involved in the NHL All-Star weekend,” he said. “I love performing at sporting events because there just such a unique energy — really excited for this one!"

Well, there was definitely a unique energy, indeed. Sorry, Brett! At least we can hope the next time he approaches the anthem, he will be well prepared for just how discerning the audience can be.

Hopefully, pop star Pink is taking notes for her turn next week at the Super Bowl!

The Taste of Country RISERS is otherwise is on a good roll. In addition to back-to-back No. 1 hits and a chart-topping album, he spent much of 2017 on the road with Lady Antebellum on their You Look Good World Tour.